Exceeding Expectations
by FairFaringNelly
Summary: The story of a young Weasley girl and a young Malfoy boy should be fairly straightforward. They should keep their distance, knowing of the enmity between their families, right? Well, since when has a Weasley followed the norm? RoseXScorpius. T for safety, though maybe not entirely necessary.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: An Unexpected Turn of Events**

Rose Weasley was not in the habit of judging a book by its cover. Having inherited her mother's brilliance, in both magical skill and academic pursuits, she had read an impressive number of books by the time she was eleven. In fact, she had _Hogwarts: A History, Second Ed._, a fairly voluminous selection, tucked inside her new satchel- though she'd read it twice already. Her experience taught her that the most interesting books might have the most ominous or even boring covers, and if one judged by outer appearances alone, one might miss the opportunity of a life time.

With this in mind, Rose regarded Scorpius Malfoy with curiosity instead of hostility. Her father had warned her about this odd boy, and his family's dark past, but how could he have known the particulars of the new Malfoy family's life, having had no contact with them for almost 19 years? He could very well have been mistaken. Then again, he might have been right. Scorpius could have turned out like his grandfather and father. In that case, Rose was prepared to heed her father's advice. All of this was pure speculation, of course. She had yet to learn anything about the Malfoy boy.

Rose chewed her bottom lip, as she was apt to do when thinking deeply. Albus Potter, her cousin and fellow first-year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, nudged her none too gently. "Hey," he said seriously. "Leave off. D'you want a swollen lip on the first night? The others will think you're strange or something."

Rose nudged him right back. "Come off it, Al. Don't be so nervous." She smiled. "Everything will turn out alright."

James, Albus's wilder older brother, trotted down the coach corridor, shoving past people to get to the two. "Oi, you two! I've found a vacant compartment! Better hurry, though. I've only pulled down the blinds to make people think there's someone inside."

Rose and Albus grinned at each other and hurried after James, who had already turned around. Unlike James, they apologized when their unnecessarily stuffed bags knocked into anyone unfortunate enough to be in the corridor as they dashed by. They finally made it, breathless with giddy excitement, to the compartment where James waited. He ushered them in with a flourish of his hand. "Victoire should be along shortly."

"Where is she, anyways?" Rose asked as she settled into one of the long seats that lined the compartment walls.

"Dunno," James shrugged. "I would guess with Teddy, but unless he snuck on the train, he's not here."

"I wouldn't put it past him," Albus said with a laugh.

James flopped down on the seat opposite Rose, and stretched out so that his legs lay on top of his brother. "Ah, it's great to have my footrest finally coming to Hogwarts with me. Those stone floors are no good for my feet, I tell you."

Albus rolled his eyes and tried to shove him off. "I didn't come to be your personal furniture."

Rose stifled her laughter at the quarreling brothers when she noticed someone in the doorway. It took her less than a nanosecond to recognize the boy.

Stark blonde hair.

Expensively tailored clothes.

It was Scorpius Malfoy without a doubt.

She forced herself to close her gaping mouth. He looked nervous enough.

"Er," the young Malfoy mumbled awkwardly. "Is it alright if I sit with you?"

James and Albus stopped their tussling. Both stared in shock at this surely impossible display of embarrassment from a Malfoy.

He started at the sudden attention. "E-everywhere else is full..." he stuttered.

The Potter brothers were still frozen in dumbstruck disbelief, so Rose took charge of the situation. "Of course!" She smiled, hoping to make him more comfortable, and moved over to make room on the seat next to her.

Scorpius slowly took the seat, though he shifted in such obvious embarrassment that Rose wondered if she had done alright. James perceived the movement differently. "Not comfortable enough for you, Malfoy?" he asked with a hint of disdain.

Poor Scorpius practically jumped at this address. "Oh, no, not at all. It's very comfortable… Sorry for intruding," he added.

"You're not intruding at all!" Rose exclaimed. "We've plenty of room to spare. There's only Albus and me, and James- oh, that's James, sorry. And of course Victoire, whenever she turns up. Victoire's our cousin. James and Al are my cousins, and I suppose that makes me theirs as well, doesn't it? Do you have any cousins? Oh, that's right; your dad's an only child, isn't he? Of course, your mum might have brothers or sisters- or brothers _and_ sisters! So, do you?"

"Do I what?" he asked, a bit lost.

"Have any cousins." Albus filled in. He sympathized with Malfoy, having been caught up in many of Rose's whirlwind conversations before.

"Oh, well, no, I don't. My aunt doesn't have any kids, so it's just me…" Scorpius trailed off.

"Don't have to share anything with anybody, do you, Malfoy?" James asked pointedly.

"Oi, James." Albus gave him a look.

"I'm just asking."

Ignoring the other two for the moment, Rose picked up the thread. "We've got loads of cousins. It's all because dad's family is huge. There's James, Albus, Lily, Me, of course, my brother Hugo, Freddie, Roxanne, Molly, Lucy, Victoire- I already mentioned her, didn't I?- Dominique, and Louis… Is that all, Al?"

Albus thought a moment before answering. "I think that's all of us." To Scorpius he said, "Rose has got a wicked memory." He found himself drawn to Malfoy more than he thought he would be.

"Oh, that's right! I never told you my name!"

"Yeah, Rose. You told him about everyone else in the family and then went and forgot yourself."

"I didn't tell him about the whole family, now did I?" Rose asked haughtily. "I just told him about the cousins." She turned to Scorpius and stuck out her hand. "I'm Rose Weasley. I already know who you are."

Scorpius shook the proffered hand, though he asked, "You're a Weasley?"

Albus tensed. James crossed his arms. "Yeah, she is. And what of it?"

The three cousins were surprised when Scorpius smiled eagerly. "I've heard loads fantastic stuff about your family! I can't believe I actually got to meet you." He turned to the flabbergasted brothers. "And you must be Potters! This is brilliant!"

"What's brilliant?" The voluptuous Victoire had suddenly appeared, leaning against the open doorframe. "Who's this?"

"If you hadn't been so busy snogging Teddy, you'd know," Rose said good-naturedly. "This is Scorpius Malfoy."

Victoire blinked. "_Scorpius Malfoy_…?" She blinked again. "Never heard of him."

Albus and Rose facepalmed, while James said, "Sure you have. He's the son of Draco Malfoy."

"Draco Malfoy…" Victoire contemplated this. "Nope. I've got nothing."

"Think, Victoire. Think really hard."

"Is he that bloke your dad hated so much back when he was at school?"

"All our dads hated him, Victoire."

"Oh, right."

Scorpius shifted. "I didn't know your parents…" he trailed off, unsure.

"Oh, it's alright now, I'm sure," Rose said with a smile. "That was ages ago." She decided it would be prudent not to mention what her father had said at the station.

"I dunno, Rosie," Victoire said as she sat between Albus and James. "Didn't he-."

"Well, that's enough of that! Scorpius, are you excited for our first year at Hogwarts?"

He managed a tentative smile. "I can't wait."

"I expect you're looking forward to potions." James was being a nuisance again. "You look like a potions kind of guy."

"Actually," Scorpius coughed. "I'm pretty rubbish at potions."

"Really?" Rose asked, surprised. "I could help you! I know a little about it, though it's mostly what I've read. Mum wouldn't let me practice much."

"Rose, he's probably not even going to be in our house," Albus pointed out reasonably.

"What? Why? Oh, that's right; your family's been in Slytherin for ages."

"_I_ might not even be in Gryffindor," Albus added despondently.

Scorpius looked between the cousins. "What?"

"Al thinks he's going to be Sorted into Slytherin." Rose explained.

Albus perked up. "But Dad said the Sorting Hat will listen to you if you don't want to be in one of the houses. That's what happened with him. The Sorting Hat wanted to put him in Slytherin, but he got Sorted as a Gryffindor."

"Really? Scorpius asked in wonder. "I never knew that. I suppose I'm stuck in Slytherin though. Family legacy and all."

"Cheer up, we'll see you in classes and at mealtimes," Albus said.

"That's right," Rose agreed.

"Thanks," Scorpius appreciated their efforts, but after years of looking forward to being a Slytherin, just like his father and grandfather, he suddenly wasn't so sure he wanted to be one. Rose and Albus were really nice, but they were probably both going to be Gryffindors, despite Albus's doubts.

The rest of the train ride, all Scorpius could think about was how much he was going to hate being a Slytherin and not a Gryffindor.

ooOoo

"Ethan Madden!" Headmistress McGonagall called out from the long roll of parchment in her hands. Thought she was now the headmistress of Hogwarts, she did not put on airs and still liked to read the list of first-year students to be Sorted herself.

Rose poked Scorpius in the shoulder. He was staring off into space. "Hey, you're up next. Get ready."

Scorpius froze like a cornered rabbit as Ethan Madden was Sorted into Ravenclaw. He remained frozen even as McGonagall read, "Scorpius Malfoy!" It wasn't until Rose pushed him forward that he finally moved. He stepped carefully up the short stairs leading to the stool for Sorting. He sat down slowly.

Professor McGonagall quirked an eyebrow at him before placing the Sorting Hat upon his head. She remembered his father well and didn't expect this Sorting to take long at all.

At first, no one could tell anything was happening. The Hat didn't seem to be speaking, or even moving. When Rose looked more closely, however, she could see Scorpius blinking rapidly and scrunching his eyebrows, first in complete and utter confusion, then determination.

Finally, the Hat's tear-like mouth opened. Then it closed.

Then it opened again.

And closed.

It opened a third time, and the Hat said, "Well, this is very unusual. Unheard of, even. This will shock every one of you lot, I guarantee it.

"_GRYFFINDOR!_"

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Blanket Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All characters, places, etc. belong to our queen, J. K. Rowling, unless otherwise specified. Such as Ethan Madden. I made him up. That's all for now!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: One, Two, skip a few… Now they're in Year Three**

"Scorpius!" Rose ducked around a trolley on the incredibly crowded Platform 9 3/4. "Scor!"

The blonde-haired boy turned at his name. He'd grown exponentially over the summer. Because his family had been on holiday in Switzerland, Rose hadn't seen him since the end of term. A grin broke his face. "Rose! Al!"

When Rose finally reached him, he grabbed her up in a hug, literally lifting her off her feet. She squeaked, then coughed to cover her surprise. "Put me down! For heavens' sakes." Scorpius gently set her down, still grinning widely. "You're a giant! When did that happen? And you're tan! How'd you get a tan in Switzerland?"

"Skiing in my boxers," Scor quipped. "Al! Good to see you." He and Albus exchanged some secret, macho handshake high-five that was far too complicated for Rose to follow. "How was your summer?"

"It was brilliant-!"

"Absolutely fantastic-!"

The cousins tried to talk over one another.

"We went to the Ministry with Dad and he showed us the Department of Mysteries-!"

"We went to Ireland with the Finnigans for a weekend-!"

"-playing quidditch-!"

"-went to the sea-!"

Scorpius observed the two for a while, finding it incredibly amusing, before he stopped them. "Whoa! Steady on! You can tell me all about your summer on the train over."

"And you can tell us about your holiday!" Rose clapped her hands. "You went to the Magical Forum there, didn't you?"

"I did," he replied. "That reminds me, Rose," He dug in the pocket of his leather messenger bag. "I have something for you…" He produced a small purple box with a gold ribbon holding it closed. "Don't open this until we're safely on the train. You'll see why."

Rose took it excitedly. "Oh, I love it!"

Albus snorted. "You don't even know what it is."

She simply stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, I'm sure it's just lovely! And it's from Scor besides-." Here she colored slightly and added, stammering, "I-I mean, he has impeccable taste, so it must be brilliant. For example, look at what he's wearing today! He looks amazing! Oh! I mean-!"

Albus cut her off with his laughter. "We get it, Rosie. Thank you very much for making me feel drab."

"Oh! Well, you're not drab! Perhaps if you'd just asked your mum to get the wrinkles out your shirt…"

As Scorpius listened to Rose chatter, a warm feeling entered his chest. He hadn't felt the warmth during the summer, except when he'd received owls from Albus and Rose- and it hadn't just been the Swiss cold getting to him. He'd missed… this. Whatever it was, he'd never had it before coming to Hogwarts.

"…Scorpius?"

Scorpius automatically straightened, and smoothed back the lock of hair that had fallen over his eye. "Yes, sir." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rose retreat slightly, though she didn't shrink back in fear, as most people might when faced with Mr. Draco Malfoy.

"Are you off, then?" Mr. Malfoy asked his son.

"Yes, sir." Scorpius attempted to appear relaxed on the outside. Inside, his heart was pounding. What would his father think, seeing his son associate with Weasleys and Potters in person? He'd told his father about his new friends- first year in fact. But this was different.

"Well, have a safe trip. Good luck this year." His father didn't seem outraged, or livid with anger. That was a good sign.

"Thank you."

Scorpius's mother was right behind his father. "Have a good time, dear," Mrs. Malfoy said lovingly.

"Thanks, Mum," he said as he gave her a hug. He simply shook his father's hand. After that, his parents departed through the magical barrier that led to King's Cross Station. He only let out a sigh of relief when he saw them disappear through the brick wall. He turned back to his friends. "Sorry about that-."

"Oh, Merlin's nightshirt!" Rose exclaimed. At first he feared she was exclaiming at something his parents had done, but she went on. "Oh, I wish I had worked up the nerve to say hello to your parents! I was just so impressed, I couldn't think of anything to say! I can't believe I didn't say anything! Could I be anymore rude?"

"It's alright," Scor said, relieved that she hadn't been offended. "They didn't exactly jump to greet you either."

"I know, but still! I wish I'd said something! What must they think of me, just standing there like a lump?"

"They must think you're a lump," Albus teased.

"That's not funny, Al." The train whistle shrieked, signaling all students to hurry up and get on board. Finding a vacant compartment proved as difficult as it was every year. The three eventually discovered James and his current girlfriend, Fiona Hartwood occupying a compartment towards the back of the last car. James and Fiona had been dating four days and already it was all they could do to keep from snogging the faces off each other. Rose thought it all very disgraceful, and hardly appropriate behavior for Fiona, who was a prefect for Hufflepuff this year. This was normal behavior for James, however. He'd had more girlfriends in the past year than spells Rose could perform, and that was saying something.

Rose cleared her throat authoritatively. "Fiona."

The amber-haired girl flicked one of her pretty blue eyes at her in annoyance. She did not, however break lip-lock.

"Shouldn't you be in the Prefects carriage? We've already left the station."

This new tact seemed to work. Looking as if her poor heart would break each moment she was away from her dear James, Fiona made her mournful exit, gracefully slamming the door behind her.

James leaned back with his hands behind his head. "You hate to see them the go, but love to watch them leave."

"You're disgusting, James." Rose scowled at her cousin. It was true that he was good-looking, but he was entirely too full of himself for his own good.

"I would like it to go on record that she said it this time, _not_ me," Albus said triumphantly.

"Stuff it, baby brother," James sneered. "You're just sore that you don't have a girlfriend and it's already your third year."

Albus colored, though for reasons James had no way of knowing. "That's rubbish."

"Leave off him," Scorpius said. Both he and Rose knew exactly why Al was embarrassed, and she had long brown hair and big doe eyes. "Rose," he said. "Why don't you open that thing I gave you now?"

"Oh, right!" She still had the box in her hand. Just as she was about to undo the ribbon, she paused, her eyes wide. "There's something moving in here!"

Even James sat up in anticipation. Scorpius simply smiled and urged her to continue.

Rose pulled on the ribbon end and the box burst open, causing her to jump. Amid a shower of sparkling, rainbow-colored ribbons, flew a delicate brown butterfly which fluttered its wings rapidly, this way and that. Rose, enchanted, leaned closer to the creature. "It's made of chocolate!" she gasped.

James and Albus were thoroughly impressed. "That's brilliant! A bit girly, but brilliant."

Scorpius laughed at Rose's amazement. "I found this in a little shop deep in the Swiss Alps. The old man who ran the shop was testing them out on customers. Gave me quite a turn the first time I opened one of those powerful little boxes."

"I love it!" Rose bounced up and down on her seat like a six year old. "It's so beautiful! Amazing!"

"Go on," he said. "Taste it. It's made of some of the best chocolate in Switzerland."

Rose reached out tentatively and cupped her hands around the butterfly. It immediately landed on her palms, suddenly statue still. Rather than daintily nibble at the sweetie, Rose proceeded to bite off the head. "Mm!" Her eyes stretched even more widely than Scorpius thought possible. "It's delishesh!" She giggled at her own attempt to talk with a mouth full of chocolate.

Albus punched Scorpius in the arm and said, "Why didn't you bring ME any chocolate, Scor? I want fancy Swiss chocolate too!"

Scorpius laughed. "I've got some in my trunk. You can have that."

"Not all of it," James said hopefully. "I might lay off of you a bit, Malfoy, if you'll let me have some."

"You want me to bribe you?"

"Yeah."

"Alright."

"Thank you!" Rose said past a large chunk of chocolate.

Scorpius laughed. "You're more than welcome. Do you think Hugo and Lily will want some as well?"

"I'm sure they will," Albus said. "Speaking of which, where are those two? Shouldn't they have been along by now? I half expected Lily to attach herself to your hip, Rose. She's been in such a tizzy about going to Hogwarts."

Rose thought a moment as she chewed. "I expect they're with Amelia and some of the other first-years."

"Oh, right."

She continued to think and chew. "I do hope they're alright. The first night can be rather nerve-wracking."

James snorted. "You say that as if you're already in your seventh year."

Rose sniffed loftily. "I've learned a lot in my two years."

"Academically, yes."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing…"

Rose needn't have worried about her brother and Lily. By the time they were Sorted and in their seats with the others, they were already at ease in their new home. Lily had been immediately pronounced a Gryffindor, and though Hugo insisted the Sorting Hat had seriously contemplated putting him in Hufflepuff, he too had been Sorted into the house his family had belonged to for generations. The two talked as much as they could manage between delicious mouthfuls, to their siblings, their cousins, their fellow first-years, and any of the upper-classmen who would listen to the eager youngsters. Rose recalled that her own opening banquet experience had been quite different. Most of the Gryffindors at the table had been so shocked by Scorpius's Sorting that they could only manage hushed whispers to one another. They could hardly approach this "interloper", and certainly hadn't been interested enough in many of the other first-years to address them with anything more than a "Welcome to Gryffindor." Rose however, hadn't minded a bit whether or not she received any attention from the older students. Instead, she created her own conversation, choosing Malfoy as her co-conversationalist. She ignored all his attempts to remain silent, his monosyllabic replies, and completely disregarded any body language that signaled his discomfort. She knew he would like talking to her eventually, and she wasn't about to give up on the chance to make a new friend.

Her instincts had served her well. They became fast friends- though this was mostly due to the fact that none of the other Gryffindors trusted him enough to get close. Scorpius was a wonderful person, really. He wasn't pretentious, and laid no claim to the title his family's aristocratic status afforded him. Although, Rose wondered how much status that would be now, considering the decrease in Pure-blood wizarding families in the past decade-.

"ROSIE."

Rose jumped, turning round quickly. "Yes? Yes? Who said my name?"

Hugo pointed to her plate. "D'you want the rest of those drumsticks, or can I have them?"

She snatched the dish away from his already outstretched hand. "Yes, I do want them! You can have two, but the rest are mine." As she watched him tear at the chicken with his teeth, she said, "You know you can just ask the house-elves for more, right? They'd be happy to oblige."

"I don't like to waste food. And besides, those elves have enough to do as it is. I don't want to make more work for them." Just like his mother, Hugo held a soft spot for any magical beings prone to mistreatment.

"How noble of you," Scor commented. Rose wondered whether he really meant it. According to her mother, the Malfoys had once had a house-elf by the name of Dobby, who had been released from them by accident and who eventually died in the Second Wizarding War. It was possible that in the time since then, the Malfoys had found another house-elf, but she wasn't sure. Besides, Rose couldn't always tell if Scor was being sincere or not. He had a dry sort of humor that prevented her from discerning what he really meant.

Albus yawned and stretched his arms behind his head. "I'm knackered. I think I'll head back to the common room now." He shot a look at Rose and Scorpius.

The two exchanged glances and rose from the table. "I think I'll go with you," Rose said. "I want to look over my books before tomorrow's classes."

Scorpius nodded. "I might do that as well."

James, who was next to Fiona, yet again, looked up at his cousin. "Cor, Rose. You've always got your nose in a book. Don't you ever have any fun?"

She scowled at him. "I'll have you know, books are my fun. I find them highly enjoyable, thank you very much." She wanted to add more, but Albus shook his head. "Let's go."

When they were safely outside the Great Hall, Albus turned to Rose and Scorpius. "Thanks, you two. Who knows when I would've gotten away, if it hadn't been for you?"

Rose grinned. "It's no problem. Now go to your blushing lady love! Lengthen not the time you must spend apart by tarrying further!"

Albus blushed and mumbled, "Shut up," before he trotted off in the direction of the dungeons.

Scorpius and Rose watched him leave. "They grow up so fast," Rose sighed, then grinned again.

"You're horrible, you know that?"

"I know. But it's good for him!"

The two took the moving stairs to the Gryffindor common room. Rose led the way since she'd memorized their tendencies and patterns the year before. Once they arrived at the gilded painting of the Fat Lady, Scorpius gave the password ("_Blunderbuss._") which he had gotten out of one of the sixth year Gryffindor prefects on the train. As they entered, the Fat Lady eyed the both of them and winked at Scorpius. He wasn't exactly sure what she meant by it, but he had an idea. Rose, however, didn't seem to notice one bit. He thanked Merlin for that.

Scor flopped onto the large, comfortably over-stuffed crimson couch positioned in front of the fireplace. He watched Rose with curiosity. She disappeared upstairs, into the girls' dormitory, for a moment, before she returned with her book satchel. She proceeded to unpack every single one of her schoolbooks and immediately opened the first in a very large stack. "I thought you were just covering for Al when you said you wanted to look over your books. Surely you're not really going to.." He trailed off.

Rose looked up, though she was already thoroughly engrossed in her _Intermediate Transfiguration_ textbook. "Oh, well, yes, but I thought I might as well have a look at these anyways. It's a good idea. Why don't you look over your books as well?"

Scorpius laughed and settled back into the really very comfortable cushions. "Thanks, but no. You'll do enough studying for the both of us."

"Scor..."

But he wasn't listening anymore. The warmth of the fire and the quiet of the common room soon lulled him to sleep.

He awoke, several hours later, when Rose shook him. "Scorpius. It's almost five till twelve in the morning. You can't just sleep here."

Scor glanced sleepily around the room, which was completely emptied of students except for Albus, who was already heading up to their room. "Help me to my room, will you?"

"Scor…"

"Please?"

She sighed and gave in. Scorpius leaned heavily on her shoulders and they started up the stairs.

"You're a life-saver, you know that, right?"

"Mhm. You would've slept till morning if I'd let you."

"I know. And then the Vector-inator would have gotten me."

"Don't call her that; it's highly improper."

"That's what she is…"

"I don't care. She's my new Arithmancy professor and our Head of House. You can't just disrespect her like that."

"Whatever you say, Rosie." Scorpius noticed that Rose blushed at this address and took pleasure in that observation. When they finally reached the door to his room, Scorpius stopped with his back against the door. "Thank you, Rosie," he said, watching her face for a reaction.

He wasn't disappointed. Her face flushed a satisfying shade of pink. However, she simply opened the door behind him, causing him to fall inward. "Good night, Scorpius," she said as she flounced towards her own wing of dormitory.

"Good night," he mumbled in return.

Albus stared at him, sprawled out on the cold stone floor. "You're not going to sleep down there, are you?"

################################################## 

Author's note: Fiona is an original character. Everything else belongs to our queen, J. K. Rowling.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: **

When Rose awoke the next morning, her immediate thoughts went to Scorpius, as they seemed to do every single morning. However, her mind soon turned to her classes for the day. She was extremely excited about the new subjects she was able to take this year. Professor McGonagall had written her during the summer and offered to let her use a time-turner to take even more classes, but after hearing about the side-effects from her mother, who had also used one in her third year at Hogwarts, Rose had declined.

She dressed quickly, determined not to be late for breakfast. She wanted to get some reading done while she ate, and the more time she had, the better.

Rose grabbed her book bag and crossed the landing that led to the third-year boys' dormitories. There was a magical enchantment that prevented any male students from using the girls' stairway or from crossing the landing the other way, but girls, apparently being far more trustworthy, were allowed to. She banged on the same door she had led Scorpius to just six hours before, and said loudly, "Get a move on, you lot! Don't make me come in there and get you up myself."

She heard a muffled groan, and, from a voice she recognized to be Cameron Frye's, "Why does she always do that?"

"Don't ask me; she's Al's cousin." That was Scorpius. He didn't sound too cheery either.

"He's still asleep."

"I wish I was him, the lucky dog."

"I WILL come in there!" Rose repeated.

"Come on- she means it, and I don't fancy being caught in my knickers."

Rose laughed. "That's odd, Scor! I thought you said you went skiing in your boxers!"

"Oh, stuff it, Rose."

Rose turned on her heel and started down the stairs, but not before hearing Cameron ask Scorpius, "What's skiing?" She laughed again.

Rose skipped all the way to the Great Hall, her bag full of books, quills, parchment, and a brand-new bottle of ink her mum had given to her bumping comfortingly against her hip. For breakfast she had toast with butter, sausages, and a mug of tea. Hogwarts had nice tea, but it wasn't as good as her grandmum's, which was always a little different every time.

Scorpius joined her soon enough, practically dragging a sleepy, stumbling Albus behind him. "Morning, Sunshine," he said as he sat next to her.

"Ugh, _finally_." Rose pretended to be annoyed. "Good morning, Al."

He merely mumbled something incoherent and slumped onto the table in front of him.

Scorpius had toast with jam, bacon, two sunny-side-up eggs, and a rather large mug of thick, black coffee. Rose often wondered if he had gone down to the kitchens and had a talk with the elves so that he could have such an unusually-sized mug, because he'd been receiving the same one since the beginning of year two.

As he sipped on his coffee, he asked, "Did you get much studying done last night?"

She nodded. "I did. That reminds me..." She took out the textbook for their History of Magic class.

Scor groaned. "More studying, Rose? Do we even have that class today?"

"No, but I thought I'd have a look at it anyway."

"Did McGonagall give out the schedules already?"

"Yes, here are yours and Al's. Give his to him when he's finally risen from the dead."

Albus sat up at his name. "Wazzappening? Wossamattah?"

"Here," Scor said, giving him his class schedule.

Al simply stared at the parchment in his hands as if it was written in ancient runes.

Scorpius poured his friend a standard-sized mug of coffee. "Drink this. You'll perk up right away."

In an obedient stupor, Albus gulped down the black liquid. He choked on his second mouthful, and spat it back into the mug, spluttering. "What the bloody hell was that?! What're you trying to do, kill me?" He looked down into his cup for the first time. "This is as black as tar!"

Scorpius shrugged. "That's how I drink it."

Al shook his head. "You're mental. How can you drink that stuff?"

Scor simply shrugged again.

Rose took the mug from her cousin and sniffed it. "It _smells_ nice, but I'm sure it tastes just awful."

"I need some tea, that's all," muttered Al.

Rose continued. "This can't be good for you, Scor. Drinking such strong coffee every single morning."

He laughed. "You don't understand, Sunshine. This is all that keeps me human throughout the day. This is my Wolfsbane Potion."

Rose was impressed with his knowledge of such an advanced potion, though she didn't understand the comparison. "What do you mean?"

Scor just smiled and said, "It's nothing."

She highly doubted that it was nothing, but she decided not to press him further. "I hope James gets his schedule alright. D'you see him anywhere?"

Scorpius looked around the crowded, noisy hall. "Not really…"

Rose slumped in her seat. "I suppose he can just copy off Fiona's."

The three of them had Transfiguration with Headmistress McGonagall first thing after breakfast. Although most professors, upon becoming Headmaster or Headmistress, found replacement professors for the subjects they previously taught, McGonagall preferred to keep her position as Transfiguration professor. She'd always taught the challenging class, and she planned on teaching it as long as she remained at Hogwarts.

Next was Care of Magical Creatures with Professor Rubeus Hagrid. The large hairy man greeted the trio with warmly as they trotted down to the paddock outside his hut. "'allo there, you lot! Had a good summer, eh?"

"Hello, Hagrid!" Rose reached him first, and was enveloped in a spine-cracking embrace. Her voice was muffled by his graying beard. "We had a lovely summer!"

Hagrid released her and turned his attention to the two boys. "Yeh've gone a bit brown there, young Scorpius! Yeh look a righ' outdoorsman, yeh do!"

Scorpius laughed. "Thanks."

"What sort of lesson have you got planned for us, Hagrid?" Albus asked.

Hagrid's eyes twinkled and he tapped the side of his nose. "I've got a nice surprise fer all o' yeh."

The three looked at each other worriedly. They already knew that Hagrid's definition of "nice" when it came to magical creatures could be very different from the definition used by everyone else, so this news wasn't necessarily good. Rose cautiously ventured to ask, "What sort of surprise?"

Hagrid chuckled. "Well, if I tol' yeh, then it wouldn' be a surprise, now would et?" This in no way abated their worries. They followed him to the paddock-fence, where the rest of the class had already gathered. Hagrid clapped for everyone's attention. "Alrigh' now, settle down there, settle down! Welcome to Care of Magical Creatures! My name is Rubeus 'agrid. I'll be yer professor, but yeh don't 'ave ter call me tha'. 'agrid will do jus' fine. Righ', fer our firs' lesson, we'll be lookin' at two different creatures. They 'ave something ter do with each other though. The firs' is a Horklump. Can anyone tell me what tha' is?"

Rose's hand shot in the air and Hagrid was reminded keenly of the girl's mother when she'd been a young witch. "Yes, Rose?"

Rose lowered her hand. "A Horklump is a mushroom-creature (usually pinkish in color with black bristles) that is native to Scandinavia. They use their tentacles to dig into the ground in search of earthworms. They are given to overrunning gardens within short amounts of time and attract gnomes."

Hagrid beamed. "Very good, ten points teh Gryffindor! And another ten, I s'ppose, since yeh've already answered my nex' question. The other creature we'll be learnin' about today is the Gnome, who, as Rose said, likes ter eat Horklumps." He pointed past his hut to a grassy area just in front of the Forbidden Forest. "Now, there's a patch o' Horklumps righ' o'er thataway. If yeh'll jus' follow me…" He started off in that direction.

A few students hung back. A sturdy Hufflepuff girl voiced her reluctance. "But that's right next to the Forbidden Forest."

Scorpius, who was walking with Rose and Al nearby, turned to walk backwards so that he was facing her. "And?"

The girl blinked and nervously moved her hair out of her face. "Professor McGonagall said it was forbidden." Some of the others nodded. One of the girl's fellow Hufflepuffs chimed in. "That's right. She's always said that."

Albus laughed, startling her. "But we're not going in the Forest. We're not allowed to go in, but we're allowed to stand near it."

Rose smiled kindly at the nervous Hufflepuffs. "And we've got Hagrid."

One boy with interestingly large ears and long hair nodded resolutely. "She's right." He looked Rose straight in the eye. "We've got Hagrid. Come on." He lengthened his stride to catch up with the professor. The rest of his housemates followed.

Scorpius stared after him. "What was that?"

Rose shrugged and gave Al, who was snickering, a look. "I've no idea…"

When everyone was finally gathered round Hagrid once again, Rose noticed the small, mushroom-like beings that dotted the grass. A stocky, blonde Gryffindor boy made as if to touch one of them, but was held back by a more cautious Gryffindor girl. "Don't," Rose heard her whisper. "We've no idea what they're like yet."

Hagrid cleared his throat and began to explain the attributes and properties of the Horklumps. Rose was acquainted with most of this information, however, and her mind took to drifting to more interesting subjects. How was she to focus on dull, boring pinkish things when she could occupy herself with such agreeable topics as—? She blinked. What was she thinking? She couldn't be thinking about Scorpius at a time like this. It was their very first Care of Magical Creatures class, and Hagrid had gone to such lengths to make it a relatively safe lesson too. Plus…

Rose glanced to her left, where Scor stood practically at her elbow, somehow engrossed in the discussion of Horklumps. She shook her head, as if to clear it of her earlier, impossibly girlish thoughts. This was no time to be daydreaming.

Rose suddenly discovered that Hagrid had ceased his lecture and was making shushing motions to his pupils, who all seemed to be gazing intently at the formidable border of the Dark Forest. Confused but a moment, she deduced that they were waiting for the appearance of their second subject of study: Gnomes. Not long after Rose came to this conclusion, a scruffy, greyish-brown head of hair rose above an oak tree's protruding root. This ratty crown was followed in suit by more knobby, hairy heads.

One of the students squeaked, but Rose couldn't discern whether it was a girl or a pre-pubescent male. She glanced at Scor to see his reaction. She stifled a surprised laugh when she found a look of real interest on his face. Hadn't he ever seen a gnome before? Perhaps not. Her mother told her that the Malfoy family had a large manor that had been in the family for generations. She hardly thought the Malfoys would stand to have any such pestilence running about their grand gardens.

The gnomes had trundled over to the Horklumps and were sniffing about for… whatever gnomes looked for in Horklumps (Personally, she couldn't understand the appeal). A small squabble broke out between two of the little grey men over a very pink Horklump. Hagrid looked as if he wanted to break up the fight, but thought better of it. "Righ'", he cleared his throat as softly as he could. "Now that we've got 'em 'ere, I'll teach you lot 'ow to get rid o' the little buggers. They can be righ' nasty fer the garden, and it's allus useful ter know 'ow ter get 'em out. Does anyone know 'ow we're goin' ter do tha'?"

Rose raised her hand immediately, though she knew Hagrid was probably going to call on someone else. Sure enough, he pointed to the Hufflepuff girl who had previously voiced her hesitation to approach the Forbidden Forest. "You pick them up by their legs and whirl them about your head. And then you fling them as far as you can."

Hagrid beamed. "Very good. Ten points to 'ufflepuff. Now we do this so tha' when they 'it the groun', the little fellers are too dizzy ter find their way back agin. Now I want er'yone ter give it a try, alrigh'?"

Rose and Al were practically professionals when it came to the removal of gnomes. Their mums had had them performing this household chore since they were large enough to lift a gnome. They spun and flung their assigned gnomes, then moved on to help Scor with his. He was having a spot of trouble nabbing his by the ankle. Every time his hand came close, the little pest would turn and bite at his fingers. His index finger was already bleeding from the savage little beast's teeth when they came to his rescue.

Scor straightened and ran his undamaged hand through his hair. "Merlin's knickers, I'm rubbish. I'm going to fail bloody gnome exterminating."

Al laughed. "Good luck explaining that one to your old patter."

Scorpius feigned a shiver. "Don't even joke about that."

Rose shooed away another gnome with her foot. "Let's give him a hand, Al, so he doesn't flunk out of Hogwarts all together."

It took them a try or two, but the two of them finally managed to teach Scorpius just the right way to come at the gnome and avoid being bitten, and at long last, he successfully flung his gnome deep into the forest. Rose noted that he seemed quite proud of such a small feat. She loved the way his eyes lit up like that— ahem. Or something.

Hagrid called the students back together and quickly reviewed the lesson, as it was just about time for lunch, or, as he called it, "time fer tuck". The students were dismissed, and Hagrid retreated into his hut for a nice, fresh-out-of-the-oven, kidney and vegetable bake. Rose checked her book bag and started back towards the castle, however, Scor and Albus hadn't moved an inch. She put her hands on her hips and gave them a quizzical look. "What's up?"

Scorpius was grinning broadly. "Opportunity."

"What are you on about?"

Albus smiled almost as widely. "A little extracurricular field trip."

Her eyes widened. "In the Forbidden Forest?"

The boys nodded eagerly. "It'll be wicked." Scorpius worried for a moment that she would refuse and run off to find a teacher.

Instead, Rose clapped in excitement. "Let's go!" She paused. "But we absolutely musn't be caught, alright? I can't afford a detention- unlike you two."


End file.
